Senior Defenses

MAKE SURE YOU'RE SIGNED IN THROUGH YOUR SCHOOL EMAIL ACCOUNT TO ACCESS LINKS.  YOU CAN'T USE PERSONAL EMAILS. 

1. You will be assigned a date and time to present your Defense of Learning.  The only acceptable reasons to request a date or time change are: (1) you have a test/assessment during your assigned time, which must be verified by your teacher or (2) you have a doctor's note for an absence.  The assignment schedule will be released soon, but tentatively plan for them to begin the week of February 24th. 

2. Study the Defense of Learning Rubric for 12th grade.  Make sure you are familiar with how you will be scored so you can address all points on the rubric. 

3. Select SEVEN total artifacts.  Two of those seven artifacts can be from activities you're involved in outside of school.  (Think about hobbies, scouts, church, volunteerism, etc.)  These artifacts should showcase your best work and deepest learning from your time at Male. 

   • If you need help deciding if your artifacts meet the standard, see the Success Skill and Artifact Rubrics on the JCPS JTS site.

4. Make sure each artifact is uploaded to the old Backpack platform.  We will use a new platform next year, but for now, you upload artifacts in the same place you always have. 

5. Complete the Defense Script Planning Guide in order to prepare what you will include and what you will say in your Defense. You will turn in your completed Defense Script Planning Guide on the Defense of Learning Materials Submission form linked below before you present your Defense. You will not read directly from this Guide during your Defense, but you may create notecards with key points to refer to as you present.  (All links are view-only.  You will need to make a copy.)

6. Complete your slides using the Defense Slides Template.  Be sure to read the reminders in the Notes section at the bottom of each slide screen and follow any instructions included on the slides themselves.  (All links are view-only.  You will need to make a copy.)

   • Set sharing settings on every link to either "Jefferson County Public Schools" or "Anyone With the Link" can view.

   • Slides are organized by Success Skill, NOT by artifact.  This enables you to focus more on your learning journey and include more than one artifact for certain Success Skills. 

   • DO NOT include bulleted lists on your slides.  You may only include screenshots and links to each task. You may create notecards to use as a tool for your presentation notes, but you should not read anything directly from a notecard or slide. 

   • Remember -- the focus of your Defense is is your journey as a learner.  The artifacts are evidence of that journey, but it is the analysis you provide verbally that is crucial. 

7. Turn in your completed Script Planning Guide and completed slide deck on the Defense of Learning Materials Submission form.

8. PRACTICE delivering your Defense using notecards as a prompting tool if you wish.  Do not read directly from the notecards. 

9. Be ready to present on your assigned date.  

Click HERE for Defense Schedule